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Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Confessions of an emotional, patriotic Witch...

Yesterday was one of the most unexpectedly emotional days.

We headed to Goodwood to watch the 75th anniversary Battle of Britain fly past. I have to admit I initially only went to keep my husband company as he is fascinated by the history of World War II (and the promise of a nice lunch). But we do both have strong connections to the war, his step father was a navigator on the Lancaster Bombers, my grandfather was in the army and on the D Day landings, my grandmother not only worked in the factories during the war but was also part of the NAAFI and her brother was in the RAF ground crew.

What I had not anticipated was the huge amount of emotions that hit me...

When the first spitfire took off I got goosebumps and as it rose into the sky I was hit with an enormous wave of emotion as tears rolled down my cheeks...and the same with the second plane...and the third...until I was sobbing. There were around forty planes, mostly spitfires but some hurricanes, a Bristol Blenheim and even an American Mustang (I know I sound totally knowledgeable...I actually had no clue, it was hubby that identified them all) but with each take off...I got smacked in the heart with emotion.

The reason for this blog and I make no apologies for the length of it...is this...a couple of years ago I made the decision not to get involved in any debates on facebook in particular, choosing instead to take the easy route and not join in the arguments because it doesn't matter what your status is about if it is in anyway slightly controversial someone will have a differing opinion...which is totally fine...we are all individuals with unique thoughts and ideas, but what happens is that the fb thread then turns into an argument with people shouting their opinions and spouting misread and misunderstood information and claiming that their way is the only way or the right way. To be honest I decided that I couldn't be bothered and I stopped posting anything that I supported that might be considered vaguely open to negative comment.

The same with politics - I don't do politics, never have and in all honesty I think all politicians are as bad as each other. It doesn't matter what side they are on they all have good and bad policies and don't keep all the promises that they make. Having said that I would not want to be a politician for all the money in the world because it doesn't matter what issue they are dealing with they won't ever please everyone.

But yesterday was a bit of a wake up call for me, part of the reason I was so upset was because of the history of it and the importance of the event itself - to remember those that founght and died for us but also because of the state our country is in now and then on a personal note disappointed in myself that I had chosen to "not be bothered" enough to state my views, thoughts or strong opinions for fear of having to deal with those that just want to argue, I had not stood up and been counted.

I am British, I am proud to be British but the state that the country is in at the moment makes me very sad. And I cannot blame the government or the individual politicians because as I see it the problem is with us, the people.

Our parents and grandparents (depending on your age) fought for us, they stood up, united, together, arm in arm and fought for what they believed in, they fought and died for this country, our country. People rallied round, they supported each other, they made the most of what they had, they made do...and they stood proud. Look what we have done with it...

Yesterday on the Goodwood Aviation page they put up a post with the routes that each group of planes would take...nearly every single comment below that post was along the lines of "why aren't you flying over Southampton, that is disgusting to leave us out, etc etc" - it made me extremely cross. Firstly Southampton is a built up area and I would imagine a restricted fly zone - anyone with an ounce of common sense would see that. But what on earth gives you the right to complain? These people have spent an awful lot of time and effort putting the event together and all you can do is moan and whinge like spoilt ungrateful children...shocking. This is just a small example of what I mean about the state that we as a people have gotten ourselves into.

We have become a nation of whingers and moaners, we complain about everything that doesn't go our way and we take no responsbility for our own actions, choosing to blame others for our own faults. There is a trend on You Tube/Facebook at the moment of videos showing people pretending to be homeless or disabled or falling over and proving that a shocking amount of people just walk past without caring about their fellow man...is this what our relations fought for?

Unfortunately it also seems to be 'taboo' to even mention you are proud to be British these days just in case you offend someone...we can't even fly the Union Jack without being told to remove it in case a small handful of people visiting our country get upset...Son of a Biscuit are you serious??

For those of you that tend to not actually read blog posts or news articles properly I urge you to understand...I am not in anyway racist, I never have been. This post isn't about that. I don't care what colour your skin is, what religion you are or where you were born, what I care about is how you treat your fellow man and how you respect the country that you live in - that goes for all of us, everyone - RESPECT THE COUNTRY YOU LIVE IN.

Obviously I don't advocate war either, I think it is a terrible thing but I am incredibly proud of those that went before us to fight for our country and I am very concerned that their brave and heroic acts and the very reason that they fought - FOR OUR COUNTRY - is being forgotten.

We as a people are responsible, we can change this and turn it around.

And whilst I am in the confessional box...I support the monarchy too - not in a "I have pictures of the Queen on the living room wall and drink my tea from a Prince Charles mug" kind of way (although I think we have some 1977 silver jubilee coins and mugs in the loft...) but in the kind of way that I am British and proud that we have a monarchy. I think ole Queen Lizzy does a fab job and would actually love to have a chat with Prince Phillip (I think he is hilariously eccentric and non PC) and I do believe that William and Kate will bring in a new era of monarchy which will be good as well.

Oh and our police force also have my total support...my father was in the police force for thirty years and I think they do an incredible job under very difficult circumstances, especially now when their hands are so tied with all the 'do gooder' nonsense...

I am not in any way a radical or extremist of any kind but yesterday reminded me that it is OK to be proud of who you are and to remember your heritage and stand up for what you believe in...if those that choose to dislike me because I am proud of that and because I would like to see the people of Britain united then that is their choice, If you must judge me then do so on how I treat you as an individual - which I hope is fairly and with kindness, support and compassion...not because of which political party I voted for or because I happen to like the Queen...

We can choose to argue and bicker with each other over stupid trivial nonsense or we can stand united as a people and pull Britain together...as one people...drawing on the strength of those that fought for this country before us.

PS. I also confess to absolutely loathing and destesting reality TV shows...I believe they rot the brain although back in the 1970s' my father told me the same thing about watching Little House on the Prairie...perhaps it is a generation thing...

2 comments:

Thanks for posting this Rachel. Agree with everything you wrote. So proud of all our veterans and sacrifices they made, my dad and grandad included in that. When I was little I was queuing with my mum in our local shop and there was an old man in front of us who was really slow. I started to get impatient and my mum quietly whispered in my ear

' darling, you are only here because men like him fought for your right to live free, for all you know he may have been a spitfire pilot. Patience and respect don't cost anything'.

All said in a very broad Devon accent. I have never forgotten those words and do my best to honour them. Jo Bright x